Sportsman, Sheffield

Re-built by Gilmour's Brewery in 1919 - the date is in stone above the entrance. Gilmours acquired the original pub when they took over Whitmarsh, Watson & Co. in 1906. The pub has been in the same family ownership for over 50 years and is little changed over this period of time. The main entrance on the left leads into an internal porch with a tiled dado and the inner door is in a full height part glazed screen. The layout is a lobby bar, two small rooms on the left and a former function room on the right which now has a full sized snooker table.

In the lobby bar the bar back fittings looks like a 1960s one with Formica on the shelves and on the counter of the hatch to the billiard room; also some glass shelves and wood panelling-like wallpaper on the front of the hatch. In the lobby there are three arches areas high up with some decorative plasterwork and three more over the servery.

On the right is a large room with a terrazzo floor and old fixed seating around most of the room and two plain baffles. There used to be a small stage on the window side and it was around 1970 when the present full sized smoker table was introduced. There is a marble, red glazed brick and cast iron fireplace with a coal burner in front of it; there is also a piano.

The two small rooms on the left are, we were told, little altered with original fixed seating but are currently used for storage and no access yet obtained. The gents' toilet is little altered with an inter-war tiled dado painted white.

Please note - the pub operates more like a club so you will find the door closed and any prospective visitor will have to ring the bell or ring ahead to arrange entry.